


Pokeshipping Week 2020

by brightpinkballerina



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Crushes, Danger, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Reunions, First Time, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Protective Pikachu (Pokemon), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightpinkballerina/pseuds/brightpinkballerina
Summary: It's that time of year again! Seven different short stories highlighting the relationship between Ash and Misty.
Relationships: Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Comments: 7
Kudos: 33
Collections: Pokéshipping Week 2020





	1. If Ash Was Aware of His Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my favorite week of the year: Pokeshipping Week! I'm pretty excited about the stories I've got for this year, so I can't wait to share them all to you! I really feel like the Pokeshipping community is the absolute best, and this week always proves it.
> 
> So, without further ado, let's kick things off!

Misty sure made it hard for Ash to concentrate on a lot of things.

For starters, she really liked to tease him. A lot. Any time Ash made a mistake, or said something dumb, Misty always had to interject with a line just to let him know just how big of a fool he’d been. And even though it tended to tick Ash off, he had to admit that Misty’s taunts were pretty creative. It was pretty difficult for him to match her bravado, although he did try his hardest.

She also liked to yell him. A lot. Whenever Ash became a bit too arrogant for his own good, or got a little short with her, she’d start shouting and firing off insults like nobody’s business. Just like her teasing, it also ticked Ash off and got him to yell back just as loud. _That_ he didn’t need to try too hard to do. But she was also very good at raising her voice…even better than him.

And she enjoyed talking to him. A lot. Although the two seemed like total opposites at first glance, Ash and Misty actually had quite a bit in common and shared many interests. Although it might not have seemed this way to people who didn’t understand the nature of their relationship, Misty really did enjoy his company and loved discussing all of the things they liked together.

And despite all of those things, the biggest reason it was so hard for Ash to concentrate around Misty was because he liked her. A lot.

Like… _a lot._

It wasn’t like Ash had never had a crush on a girl before, but Misty was easily the prettiest girl Ash had ever met. Her fiery red hair, cerulean eyes, and ivory skin reminded Ash of a storybook mermaid who had managed to turn herself into a human. Her long arms and legs, composed of lean muscles from hours upon hours of intense swimming, gave her a svelte yet athletic appearance. 

And yes, even though she could sometimes get a bit gruff with him, Ash kind of liked it. He found Misty to be a strong, passionate girl. Smart as a whip and not willing to back down from what she believed in. And to him, that was just as attractive as her physical appearance.

He hadn’t felt that way about her when they first met, but as time passed, Ash’s feelings had changed.

Of course, this wasn’t something he felt he could openly talk to Misty about, or even clue her into. After all, what if she didn’t feel the same way about him? It’s not like Ash just expected her to, but it’d hurt pretty bad if she didn’t. Besides, he considered them best friends before anything else, and he didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize their friendship.

“Hello? Earth to Ash?”

The boy snapped his head up, not realizing that he had zoned out staring at the sandwich in front of him. Now, instead of his lunch, he was looking dead ahead at Misty, who had a teasing expression on her face.

A _very cute_ teasing expression.

“It isn’t like you to space out when there’s food around just waiting to be eaten,” Misty snickered. “Everything okay?”

“Uh, yeah! Totally fine!” Ash replied, grinning at Misty. She sounded genuinely concerned, which was nice. “Maybe I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

He picked up his sandwich and took a tentative bite out of it. Misty was still ogling him, but soon dropped her gaze so she could focus on her own lunch. There was someone else, however, who had watched that scene unfold from a further distance with great interest.

Smirking, Brock carried his plate over to the table and placed it down, taking the seat next to Ash. “So, how’s the food?”

“Great, as always!” Ash crowed.

“Yeah, even though Ash was about to use his as a pillow,” Misty snickered.

Ash glared at her, while Brock raised an eyebrow. Of course, he’d already heard this whole conversation, but he was going to play along and pretend he hadn’t. “Really? Are you tired?”

“Just a little,” Ash grumbled, still shooting Misty an unappreciative look. Maybe she hadn’t been quite as genuine as he thought. “But don’t worry about it; I’m fine! I’m sure I’ll be much more awake after I eat!”

“Mmhm,” Brock hummed, picking up his own sandwich and taking a bite.

The rest of lunch went off without incident, much to Ash’s relief. Misty and Brock had both dropped the topic of his supposed tiredness and turned the topic into something far more mundane: where they planned on heading next and how they would get there. As they were cleaning up, however, Ash was given a bit of a jolt when he heard Brock call, “Misty, would you mind heading down to the stream and washing the plates for me? I’m going to start putting the table and chairs away.”

“Sure!” Misty cheerfully replied, gathering up all the plates so she could carry them over to the water.

Ash watched her go with a sense of dread before slowly turning to Brock. He _knew_ there had to be a reason for Brock sending Misty off with the dishes and judging by the contemplative look on the Pokémon breeder’s face, Ash was right.

So much for moving on from his problems.

“Um, what’s up, Brocko?” Ash asked awkwardly.

Brock glanced at Misty over his shoulder before turning his attention back onto Ash. “You’ve been acting strange around Misty lately. Any reason why?”

“No…not…really.”

“Did you two have some big fight behind my back?”

“No! Of course not!” Ash hastily refuted. “We’d never be able to hide a fight from you.”

Brock silently seemed to agree that this was true. He was still visibly thinking, however, which made Ash nervous. After all, Brock was pretty good at figuring things out, and this wasn’t the first instance as of late where he’d given Ash a weird look.

“You don’t…happen to _like_ Misty, do you?”

Ash felt his face go pale, and as an immediate response, began to laugh wildly. This caught the attention of Pikachu and Togepi, who had been playing nearby, and caused Brock to raise an eyebrow. “Uh…of course I _like_ her, Brock! She’s my _friend!_ And you always _like_ your friends!”

Once Ash had finally managed to calm down, Brock sighed and deadpanned, “I don’t mean as a friend.”

Stubbornly, Ash turned away and huffed, “well, I don’t know what else you could _possibly_ mean!”

“I think you do,” Brock scoffed. When Ash refused to respond, Brock continued, “you know, how _I_ feel about pretty girls? That kind of ‘like’.”

“Obviously not,” Ash calmly refuted. “You don’t see me drooling over her like that!”

“No, but that’s kind of exclusive to me,” Brock boasted, much to Ash’s bewilderment. He thought the world of Brock, but he also didn’t think that was much to brag about. “You’re much calmer about it, but still. You’ve been acting a little weird around her lately. Maybe a _regular_ person wouldn’t have noticed it, but I’m somewhat of a love expert, so I could see it from a mile away.”

“Love expert?” Ash repeated incredulously. Brock shot him a wry look, to which Ash groaned. He figured there was no use trying to deny it now, even if he thought Brock’s _specific_ wording was a little off. “Alright, fine. I might think Misty is kind of cute.”

“Kind of?” Brock repeated, amusement in his voice.

“Fine, _very_ cute,” Ash grumbled. “But…she’s also really passionate, and smart, and funny, and…and lots of other stuff I can’t think of right now!”

Brock smirked. Ash had it _bad._ “So, are you going to tell her?”

Ash’s eyes widened to a near comical size. “Are you kidding?! _No,_ I’m not gonna tell her!”

“Well why not?” Brock prodded.

“Why would I tell her something like that?” Ash questioned. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way? Do you know how _embarrassing_ that would be?!”

“There’s nothing embarrassing about having feelings for someone,” Brock reasoned with him. “We can’t help who we fall in love with.”

“Stop saying ‘love’,” Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I’m not ‘in love’ with her. It’s just a crush.”

Brock scoffed but didn’t argue. He knew this was more than just a crush, even if Ash didn’t…or just didn’t want to admit it.

“Maybe one day I’ll tell her,” Ash muttered, causing Brock to raise an eyebrow. “But not right now. I’m not ready for that. Not yet.”

Despite his previous insistence, Brock smiled at his younger friend. “I think that’s fair.” Stopping to think for a short moment, Brock added, “just…try not to act so strange around her, alright? Misty’s a smart girl. If you keep that kind of rambling up around her, she’s going to figure out that something’s up.”

“You’re right,” Ash conceded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Brocko.”

“Don’t mention it,” Brock replied, giving a single nod of his head.

Misty soon returned with the now clean plates, a smile on her face. “All done, Brock!” Handing the dishes over to the grateful Pokémon breeder, Misty asked, “did I miss anything?”

Brock glanced at Ash out of the corner of his eye, noticing that the younger boy’s blush had failed to disappear. “No. Nothing interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was interesting to write since it's so opposite of what the anime always presents to us. But that's also what made it fun!
> 
> Tomorrow is a theme that I replaced with one of my own choosing. See you then!


	2. Alolan Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy day two! I replaced the original theme with one of my own choosing. I'm still very much attached to everything Alola, and the reunion episode in Pokémon Journeys gave me this idea that I really wanted to write. I hope you all enjoy!

When the plane landed in Alola, the first things Misty had been expecting to see were palm trees, unique Pokémon, and plenty of sunshine, all from outside her small, round window.

Instead, it was Ash's bright red face right next to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Misty asked nervously, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Fine!" Ash blurted, just a little too loudly.

As a reactionary response, Misty slapped a hand over his mouth, nervously looking around the plane. It seemed that a few people had turned to stare at Ash and give him funny looks but had gone back to minding their own business rather quickly. His cry had also managed to awaken Pikachu, who had been sleeping snuggled between the pair's legs. Sighing, Misty lowered her hand, recoiling a bit when Ash shot her a glare. "Sorry! But you have to admit that was a _little_ over the top."

Stubborn as ever, Ash held his ground for a few moments before slumping his shoulders and admitting, "yeah, you're right."

"Why do you look so terrified?" Misty questioned, inclining her head.

Pikachu, who had finally rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes, looked up to examine his trainer. The boy had calmed down to some extent but was still pretty red in the face and giving off an air of tension.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu added, rather concerned himself.

"It's stupid," Ash grumbled, turning away a bit. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, I am," Misty calmly retorted. "Come on; tell me what's up."

Reluctantly, Ash turned back towards Misty and admitted, "I'm nervous."

Misty's face turned deadpan. "Yeah, _that_ I know. Nervous about _what?_ "

"…introducing you to Kukui and Burnet."

Now Misty was looking at him like he'd gone insane. "Ash, I've already met them."

"Yeah, as my friend!" Ash cried, his voice rising again. He lowered it himself, however, to add, "not as my _girlfriend_."

That led Misty to furrow her brow. "They seemed to like me beforehand. You think maybe this will make them change their minds?"

"No, not at all!" Ash cried, waving his hands in front of him. "I know they'll still like you. At least, I _think_ they will. I'm just…it's weird, you know? I didn't want to tell them we were dating over the phone, since I knew I'd be coming here soon. It just felt nicer to do it in person. But it's a lot scarier, too."

Misty smiled and nodded her head. "I do, and I agree. That's very sweet of you, Ash. But try not to worry so much! I really like Kukui and Burnet, and I'm excited to see them again! I'm sure they'll be happy for us."

Ash returned her grin and tried to relax himself. He knew she was probably right. It just felt so strange. He really did care for Misty, and he was ecstatic to be dating her. It had certainly taken him long enough, after all. But it was a big change from just being friends, and so it really felt like he was re-introducing her to Kukui and Burnet, who were practically his second parents, all over again. In a way, it was even more intimidating than breaking the news to Delia, since she hadn't exactly been subtle about her desire for them to be together and had practically thrown a party when Ash told her.

Once they got off the plane and retrieved their bags, Ash and Misty exited the airport, both of them looking for their ride. Since it was an airport, the exit was plenty crowded with people waiting for their own rides. But just like the rest of Alola, everyone was calm and easygoing, which made it a lot easier to try and find who they were looking for.

"Right there!"

Ash's eyes widened as he turned his head towards Misty, who was grinning and pointing towards the red car with its top down.

"Aw, man," Ash grumbled. "You beat me!"

"You're just lucky we didn't bet on it," Misty giggled, pulling her luggage towards the car.

Professor Kukui had already gotten out of the driver's seat, ready to assist Ash and Misty with a big smile on his face.

"Alola!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Alola!" Ash and Misty both returned.

"I hope you two had a nice flight," Kukui commented, taking Misty's bag from her first.

"Oh, yes!" Misty confirmed. "It was pretty tame."

"The snacks were really good on this one," Ash added, causing Misty to smirk and shake her head.

Kukui, on the other hand, let out a hearty laugh as he reached out to ruffle Ash's hat. "Glad to know you haven't changed a bit!"

Ash chuckled nervously as he fixed his cap, muttering an unsure, "right…"

As soon as Kukui had all of the luggage loaded up in the car, the trio plus Pikachu climbed in so they could head over to Kukui and Burnet's house. Misty watched the scenery around them go by in awe, her face glowing as she took in all of the things she had originally expected to see from her plane window. Ash, on the other hand, was more interested in watching _her_. Of course, he loved Alola and everything it had to offer as well, but it was actually even better seeing how happy and excited it made Misty. He had learned recently that Misty's smile was one of his favorite things, and he'd do just about anything to get it out of her.

It didn't take them too long to reach the house, and once they arrived, Ash got out of the car a lot more slowly than Kukui had been expecting. Normally, Ash barely waited until the car had even _stopped_ before he jumped out like a madman so he could run to the front door. The professor looked over at Misty, who must've noticed the contemplative look on the researcher's face and offered him an understanding smirk in response as she climbed out of the car herself.

"Alola, you two!"

Misty turned towards the house, and her eyes instantly sparkled. Running past Ash and up to the door, she met up with the woman who had greeted them, warmly responding, "Alola!" Turning her gaze downward, Misty sweetly asked, "is this Lei?"

Burnet giggled, giving the baby in her arms a little bounce. "It is!"

Cooing, Misty bent down so she could be at eye level with the infant. "Hi, Lei! It's so nice to meet you! You sure are adorable."

The boy smiled, reaching out for Misty with his chubby little hands and patting her cheeks. Ash watched from a few feet away, amazed by the sight. He'd watched Misty interact with lots of baby Pokémon before, but never an _actual human_ baby. For some reason, it made his heart flutter.

"Lei, no!" Burnet scolded, lifting the baby higher so he'd stop. "I'm so sorry; he's got a very bad habit of doing that."

"I don't mind!" Misty assured her, standing back up to her full height. "I think it's sweet!"

"Yeah, he did the same thing to me when we first met," Ash chuckled from the step behind Misty, having finally broken out of his stupor and moved forward towards the door himself. "I'm pretty sure it just means he likes you!"

Burnet couldn't help but to beam. "That's a good point. After all, Lei definitely _loves_ his big brother!"

"Big brother?" Misty repeated with amusement, looking over her shoulder and smirking at a flustered Ash. "How cute!"

That only caused Ash's blush to intense. Burnet noticed this right away and smiled sympathetically, saying, "well, I think I've embarrassed Ash enough for now. Please, come inside! Kukui, do you need any help with their bags?"

"Nope, everything is under control!" Kukui crowed, giving his wife a little salute.

Misty was about to follow Burnet into the house but stopped when Ash brushed up against her. "Come on, why do you have to tease me like that?"

For her part, Misty appeared genuinely bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"The whole big brother thing," Ash groaned, hanging his head.

"Oh, I wasn't teasing you!" Misty exclaimed. "I really _do_ think that's cute! You have all the qualities of a great older brother; Lei is very lucky to have you."

The beating in Ash's chest suddenly sped up. He had gotten more used to Misty giving him compliments, but this one was on a whole different level. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but he knew it was something special.

He and Misty both entered the house, Kukui trailing behind with their luggage. Pikachu flew off of Ash's shoulder, eager to greet Ash's Alolan Pokémon as well as Munchlax, who was hanging around the kitchen counter. As soon as Kukui set the bags down, Ash, who had just finished greeting his Pokémon as well, looked over his shoulder and back towards Burnet. He licked his lips, figuring now was the best time to rip the band aid off and make his announcement.

"Dinner's almost ready! I'm sure you two must be _starving_ by now."

And just like that, Burnet unintentionally took all of the wind out of Ash's sails.

"Munch!" Munchlax cheered, causing Burnet to sigh.

"Yes, for you too, Munchlax," she laughed tiredly.

Misty glanced over at Ash, who had gone back to looking about as nervous as he had on the plane. Reaching over, she patted his shoulder before replying to Burnet, "I know _I'm_ hungry, which means Ash must be ready to eat a Rapidash."

She looked at him again. Ash forced a smile onto his face and nodded, chirping, "yep! She's right!"

Soon enough, they were all seated in the living area of the house, plates of food in hand with plenty more where that came from on the table in the middle of the couches. Lei was seated near his mother in a highchair, playing with his dinner for a bit before actually eating it. Munchlax, Pikachu, and the rest of Ash's Alola Pokémon were just a few feet away, enjoying their own specially prepared meal.

"This is so good!" Ash exclaimed, having finally taken a break from stuffing his face.

"Burnet made sure to make all of your favorites," Kukui chuckled. "She spent the whole day worrying about getting everything just right!"

"Really?" Misty breathed in amazement. "I wouldn't have worried, Professor Burnet; your cooking is always so good!"

The researcher blushed. "Aw, you guys are so sweet! I'm glad you love your food!"

After a stretch of comfortable silence, during which everyone was too busy eating to talk, Kukui finally piped up again. "So, Ash, Misty; what have you two been up to?"

Ash, who had been swallowing his latest bite of food, nearly choked.

_Does he know something's up?!_

"Oh Ash, are you okay?!" Burnet gasped, jumping up to pat the boy's back.

"Y-yeah," Ash croaked once he'd managed to get the bite down with a swig of water.

"Were you eating too fast again?" Misty sighed.

"M-maybe," Ash murmured sheepishly, taking another small sip from his glass.

Misty smiled kindly at Kukui and replied, "well, I've been working at the gym, as usual. It's been kind of crazy lately with the Indigo League coming up and trainers trying to get their last-minute badges! But that's finally died down, so while I'm gone, my sisters are using the gym for their latest water ballet."

"A water ballet?" Burnet marveled as she sat back down. "That sounds amazing! I'd love to see one!"

"You guys should totally come to Kanto and check it out one day!" Misty offered. "I tease my sisters a lot, but the shows they put on are really very good. Just don't tell them I said that."

Kukui and Burnet both laughed. Looking towards Ash, Kukui asked more directly, "and what about you?"

Ash went rigid again. His eyes quickly darted between Kukui, Burnet, and Misty, all of whom were looking at him with interest. It should've been an easy question to answer, honestly. He could've told them about all the new Pokémon or caught, or how he'd done in the latest battle tournament he'd entered, but none of those things were coming to mind at the moment, thanks to the one intrusive thought that was clogging up his brain. So, without much more delay, Ash loudly blurted it out.

"Misty and I are dating!"

Yes, the very thing he'd been so nervous to tell them about. That was the only thing he could think of. Instead of presenting it in an exciting, or at least calm, manner, Ash had simply shouted it out several decibels too loud with absolutely no preamble.

Kukui and Burnet just stared at him. The Pokémon looked up from their food in bewilderment. Even _Lei_ had stopped playing with his food and had his eyes locked onto Ash. Misty, meanwhile, had buried her face in her hands, unable to bring herself to look at anyone.

Ash nervously shifted his eyes around the circle, his brain just barely processing what he had done. "Uh…yeah. So…that. That's, uh, what I've been up to. _We've_ been up to. Yep."

Kukui and Burnet shifted their eyes away from Ash and towards one another, exchanging looks. Ash held his breath, afraid that they were silently judging him and his life choices. After all, he knew they could be a little protective of him. What if they thought Misty might hurt him? Or worse…what if they thought _he_ might hurt _Misty?_ Maybe they didn't trust him with a girl, or think he was ready to date. Or _maybe_ they thought he and Misty weren't right for each other. Ash had all the respect in the world for Kukui and Burnet, but he didn't think he could break up with Misty just because they didn't like the relationship.

And then Burnet squealed.

"I _knew_ it!" She cried. "I _knew_ you two liked each other!" Turning towards her husband and clutching his shoulder, she ordered, "Kukui, you owe me!"

"Wait…" Ash murmured as Misty lifted her head from her hands. "How'd you know that? _When'd_ you know that?!"

Burnet seemed hesitant to respond, but finally she said, "the first time Misty and Brock visited."

Ash's eyes widened. "That long ago?! But…but we weren't dating back then!"

"I know," Burnet replied. "It was the way you guys acted around each other. I could tell you cared about each other as more than friends; you just hadn't realized it yet."

"I think _Ash_ was the only one who hadn't realized…" Misty admitted, her blush somehow deepening.

Ash turned towards Misty; his eyes still set wide. "You really liked me then?"

Misty sheepishly nodded. "I _did_ tell you I liked you for a long time, Ash. I wasn't kidding."

"From that visit on, Burnet _constantly_ told me you two would eventually get together," Kukui chimed in, sounding a bit embarrassed himself. "I told her I didn't really think so, that you two were just friends. Guess her intuition is a lot better than mine; no surprise there!"

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "So…you guys aren't disappointed?"

Burnet gasped, almost dramatically. "No! Why would you ever think we'd be disappointed?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted with a blush. "I've never done this before. My mom was basically expecting us to date, so it wasn't really hard to tell her. Although, you had the same thoughts apparently, Professor Burnet."

She giggled and nodded her head. "True!"

"Ash, you never have to think we'd be disappointed in you, especially when it comes to things like who you're dating," Kukui added. "But I must say, Misty is an excellent choice! You two complement each other like a helping hand."

Misty couldn't help but to laugh herself. "Thanks, professor!"

"And you're just _adorable_ together," Burnet cooed. "You have to tell me all about how you started dating! What was your first date like? Where did you go? Ash, I hope you were a gentleman and paid for Misty!"

Ash's mouth ran dry. And here he thought just saying he and Misty were _dating_ would be the hard part. When he took too long to respond, Misty just snickered and patted his knee.

"Forgive him, he still short circuits when it comes to anything romance related," Misty quipped. "I think breaking the news pretty much fried his brain. But don't worry, I'll be more than happy to fill you in on all the details!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since we don't know Lei's dub name yet, I stuck with that for this one. Honestly, I hope they keep it; I think it's so cute! And I'd also love for Misty to meet him...


	3. Misty in Pokémon Journeys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the assigned themes for day three! Pokémon Journeys has been an interesting series for me thus far. Started off a bit slow in my opinion but has picked up over time! It is, however, perfectly set up for creating a fic like this. Inserting Misty into the Journeys setting just felt really natural, so I tried to write this story to feel like an actual episode of the series.
> 
> Please enjoy!

"Goh, where's Ash?"

The young trainer looked up from the wide assortment of breakfast food he'd been surveying, locking eyes with a newly arrived Chloe. As always, she was fully prepared for school, dressed in her uniform with her backpack slung over her shoulders. Yamper stood dutifully by her feet, yipping excitedly as he looked for any kind of attention from the girl.

"Beats me," Goh responded before returning his attention to the counter. "He was still asleep by the time I left our room."

Chloe folded her arms. "And that doesn't concern you at all? I haven't known him very long, but it's pretty clear that Ash isn't the kind of guy to skip out on a meal."

"No, why should I be worried?" Goh questioned, slowly starting to sound annoyed. "He likes to sleep just as much as he likes to eat. I'll be concerned when he actively _rejects_ breakfast."

Chloe scowled at the boy, but he was too busy trying to pick out the components of his breakfast to notice it. She wished he could be _just_ a little bit more personable! They'd known each other since they were little kids, so Chloe was very familiar with Goh's personality, but that didn't mean it didn't tend to rub her the wrong way every so often. She figured the older he got, the better he'd become at socializing, or at least _understanding_ people, but that didn't seem to be the case. Ash was helping out a little, but she knew there was really only so much that could be done when it came to Goh. He just was the way he was, and any _real_ change was likely impossible.

"GUYS! GUYS!"

Goh and Chloe both yelped in surprise as Ash came charging into the kitchen, still dressed in his pajamas. Pikachu was hanging desperately onto his shoulders, trying not to fall off from all the sudden movement. Yamper, meanwhile, was now growling and barking incessantly at the two, displeased with their sudden intrusion, while Raboot just sat in the corner disinterested.

"What?! What happened?!" Goh cried, nearly dropping his half-full plate.

Ash grinned and held up his Rotom Phone so the screen was facing Goh. "They're having a tag battle tournament in Celadon City today; we should totally go!"

Goh appeared unimpressed before finally asking, "what the heck is a tag battle?"

Ash gasped almost dramatically. "You've really never heard of a tag battle?!"

"Nope," Goh confirmed, looking back over his shoulder and grabbing an extra biscuit. "Enlighten me."

"A tag battle is when you team up with another trainer and the two of you battle together against other teams," Ash explained. "They're super fun! And usually at tournaments like this, you can win some really awesome prizes!"

"Oh, interesting!" Goh commented, carrying his breakfast over to the table. "That sounds right up your alley."

"You bet!" Ash chuckled. It finally registered to him that Yamper was in a frenzy, and when he turned his head, he found Chloe shooting him a deadpan look. "Hey, Chloe! You want to come with us?"

"No thank you," Chloe sighed. "It's a school day, remember?"

"Yeah, but a day off every once in a while couldn't hurt!" Ash cried. "Besides, I bet Yamper would love to participate in a tournament like this! Wouldn't you, Yamper?"

The puppy Pokémon settled down and barked again, this time in agreement. Pikachu jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and cheerfully greeted his fellow electric type, who began to rub their cheeks together.

"You're forgetting that Yamper isn't actually my Pokémon," Chloe muttered.

"Nah, I remember!" Ash refuted. "But I'm sure your dad would let you borrow him!"

"I don't need to borrow Yamper," Chloe sighed. "Forget not having a Pokémon, I don't even have a battle partner."

"You don't need one, you could always get matched up with someone at the stadium!" Ash explained. "But if you'd rather battle with someone you know, I'm sure Goh wouldn't mind teaming up with you!"

Chloe and Goh quickly exchanged harried looks before blushing furiously and looking away from one another, much to Ash's bewilderment.

"You know, your names kinda rhyme!" Ash exclaimed when neither once responded before musing, "Chloe and Goh…Goh and Chloe…you guys could name your team 'Glohe'!"

"Gross," Chloe replied simply before shaking her head. "And I already told you, I'm not coming."

"Plus, who said _I_ wanted to enter the tournament?" Goh demanded.

Ash was disappointed by this revelation. "Wait, really? I thought you'd like it!"

Goh scratched his cheek. "I'm not exactly a battler like you are…remember the Battle Frontier Flute Cup? That was pretty embarrassing."

"Yeah, but that was your first tournament," Ash contested. "The more experience you get, the better you'll become!"

"It's a nice thought, but I just don't think it's for me," Goh laughed nervously. "I'll come with you, though! Who knows, I might find some cool Pokémon to catch around there."

"Great!" Ash cheered.

Once they'd both finished breakfast, Ash and Goh headed out to catch a bus to Celadon City. It wasn't too long of a ride, and after an hour spent chatting and playing games on their Rotom Phones, the boys arrived at their destination.

Naturally, the stadium was bustling, the plaza full of entrants and spectators alike. Some practiced nearby with their Pokémon, while others visited the merchandise booths that made up the tournament's mini marketplace. It was almost too much activity for Goh, but for Ash, it was like a dream come true, and it all served to further fire him up.

"Isn't this so cool?!" Ash exclaimed.

"It's something alright," Goh chuckled nervously. Beside him, Raboot kicked at a rock, pretending it was a soccer ball.

Ash continued looking around frenetically, not sure where to stop first. Pikachu, who was up on his shoulder, had been doing the same thing, but soon stopped and twitched his ears. "Pikachupi?"

Leaning down, Pikachu nudged Ash with his nose, gaining his trainer's attention. "What is it, Pikachu? Is there somewhere you want to go?"

Pikachu looked back up and motioned forward with his head. Ash glanced in that direction, and as soon as he saw what had interested his partner, the boy's face lit up like the sun.

"No way!" Ash laughed wildly.

Before Goh could ask him what was so funny, Ash darted away from him, causing the boy's blue eyes to widen. "Ash! Wait up!"

Ash didn't seem to hear him, however; at the very least, he didn't bother to stop. He just kept running in the same direction, dodging other trainers and spectators with a harried poise that managed to both impress and embarrass Goh all at the same time.

"He never learns," Goh sighed. "Let's go, Raboot!"

The new trainer and his partner followed after Ash as quickly as they could. While Goh was actively making sure to avoid running into people, Raboot was much surer on his feet and navigated around them flawlessly. Although they still weren't close to Ash, Goh managed to hear his friend shout over all the other noise in the plaza.

"Misty!"

"Ash?!"

The raven-haired boy had finally stopped, enabling Goh to catch up with him. Letting out raged breaths, Goh complained, "what did you run off like that for?!"

Ash turned his head and saw just how out of breath Goh was, causing him to realize that he had left the newbie trainer behind and instantly making him feel guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry! Guess I got too excited and didn't think."

"So, nothing new?"

Ash scowled and whipped his head back around. "Come on, do you _have_ to tease me every time we see each other?"

"Of course, I do! You know I can't resist."

Goh raised a thin, dark eyebrow as he looked over the girl standing across from them. She had an ivory complexion, hair as red as fire, cerulean eyes that reminded him of sea glass, and currently sported quite the mischievous smirk.

"I'm assuming this is another friend of yours…?" Goh asked warily. He had already been introduced Ash's friends from Alola, and while the meeting had ultimately ended well, it didn't really get off on the best foot. The boy was not really looking for another repeat performance of _that_ and already had his guard up.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered, taking a step out of the way and motioning towards the girl. "Goh, this is Misty! She's the Cerulean City gym leader. We used to travel together; I met her on my very first day as a trainer!" Turning towards Misty, Ash presented, "and this is Goh! He's my fellow research, uh…fellow."

Misty giggled at Ash's inelegance before looking up at his new friend. "Hi, Goh. Nice to meet you!"

"You too," Goh returned, his voice still cautious, but now also laced with intrigue.

"I didn't know you were gonna be here," Ash said to Misty, inclining his head.

"I could say the same about you," Misty replied, placing her hands on her hips. "Although, I shouldn't be surprised! You _do_ seem to turn up wherever there's a competition."

Ash shrugged. "What can I say? I have a nose for it!"

Misty shook her head and turned her attention back onto Goh. "So, are you and Ash partners for this tournament?"

"Me?" Goh asked, pointing at himself. He quickly realized that was a dumb question; _obviously_ Misty was asking him. Rapidly shaking his head, he refuted, "no. I'm not much of a battler myself. I just came to cheer Ash on!"

"He _also_ came to see if he could find any Pokémon to catch," Ash added, flustering the other boy.

"Oh, right!" Misty exclaimed. "You're trying to fill up your poke dex and catch Mew, right?"

Goh was visibly surprised. "Yeah…how'd you know that?"

"Ash has told me all about you!" Misty elucidated, much to Goh's surprise. "Ever since he got that Rotom Phone from Professor Cerise, he texts me nonstop. Although I have to admit it's _much_ easier than when we used to write letters to each other!"

"Hold on…letters?!" Goh practically gasped.

"After we traveled through Johto, Misty had to go back to the Cerulean Gym," Ash added, sounding a bit forlorn. "But we always made sure to keep in touch! It was _usually_ letters, but we'd also give each other a video call every now and again!"

"I might not be traveling around with Ash anymore, but he keeps me up to date on all of his adventures," Misty giggled. "What new Pokémon he's caught, what new friends he's made…even when I'm miles away, it makes me feel like I'm still with him."

As she said that, a delicate blush graced her cheeks. Goh blinked, the gears in his brain starting to turn more intensely now.

"So, who're you competing with in the tournament?" Ash asked her, snapping Goh out of his thoughts.

"I don't have a partner," Misty admitted. "I didn't have much time to prepare, since I just found out I could come this morning. I was just going to have them randomly match me up with someone."

A smile so big grew on Ash's lips it seemed like it might crack his face. Goh, ever the astute boy, took notice of this as well.

"Then why don't we enter as a team?" Ash excitedly suggested. "It'll be perfect! We already know each other's battle styles, after all. Plus, I've always thought we work really well together!"

Misty's blush intensified. "O-okay! Yeah; that sounds great! I would _love_ that!"

Goh let out a long breath and knitted his eyebrows together. If he wasn't mistaken…

"Awesome! Let's go register!"

Again, Ash's booming voice broke Goh out of his stupor, even though this time it wasn't him being spoken to. Goh looked ahead just in time to see Misty nodding wordlessly and turning on a heel, heading in the direction of the registration tent. Ash was about to follow her, but before he could take another step, Goh reached out and grabbed him by his arm. Looking down, Ash's eyes wandered from Goh's hand all the way up to his face, which looked _extremely_ pensive.

"Huh?" Ash murmured. "Goh, what's up?"

Leaning in a little bit closer to his friend, Goh nearly whispered, "You never told me you had a girlfriend."

That statement was followed by a long beat of silence. And then, a hearty laugh. "What?! No way, Misty's not my _girlfriend!_ She's just a friend!"

Goh's face didn't change. "Ash…do you hear how she talks about you? Or how you talk about her? It sounds to me like you two are a little more than just friends."

"Nah, that's just how friends talk," Ash rebutted.

"Okay, but…what about the letters?" Goh pressed.

"What about them?"

Goh resisted the urge to groan. "Ash, do you realize what century it is? Love letters are super old fashioned! They're the basis of literally every romance novel ever written and every romantic movie ever produced."

Ash scrunched up his nose. "Love letters?! No! They were just plain old _friendly_ letters! Besides, how do you know that?"

"Chloe told me," Goh admitted with a grumble, ever so slightly blushing. "She likes that kind of stuff."

"Does that mean you and Chloe write each other letters?" Ash asked.

"No!" Goh immediately refuted, his blush intensifying.

Now Ash just looked confused. "Not even friendly ones?"

Despite his best efforts, Goh could feel himself becoming more flustered. "No. And we're not talking about me right now! Or Chloe, for that matter." Clearing his throat, he continued, "Okay, well…how about the way she _looks_ at you? Didn't you notice how much she was blushing? _Especially_ when you talked about working together as a team?"

Ash chuckled again, more gently this time. "She was excited, that's all! Besides, _you_ were just blushing when you were talking about Chloe, but I know that you guys are just friends."

Goh just rolled his eyes and said nothing.

"Trust me, she's just super fired up for this tournament," Ash assured his friend. "Misty loves battling just as much as I do. And she's amazing at it, too! Wait until you see her in action!"

Before Goh could carry on, Ash shook himself free from his grasp and once again ran off in Misty's direction. This time, Goh didn't move a muscle, simply staring at Ash's back as he caught up to his gym leader "friend."

"And _I'm_ the one who doesn't get social cues?" Goh muttered to himself while Raboot looked up at him with staid eyes. "Even I can tell that those two are made for each other!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I snuck a little bit of GohxChloe in here. I think they're pretty cute together; they actually remind me of Ash and Misty in a lot of ways! Chloe is another character I'd love for Misty to meet. They're both so sassy, I think they'd get along so well (especially when it comes to teasing Ash and Goh, lol).


	4. Pikachu Protecting Misty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is yet another day where I stayed on theme. I really love the relationship between Pikachu and Misty, and knew this would be a fun one to write. I kind of got to go the action route here, which was really fun!

When Misty opened her eyes, all she saw were trees and a dark sky. She wasn't entirely sure of where she was, and at this point, couldn't even remember how she'd gotten here. Her mind felt hazy and her thoughts jumbled, the breeze whipping in her ears doing nothing to help matters.

"Pikachupi?"

Misty slowly turned her head, and her eyes soon locked with the big black ones of a very familiar Pokémon.

"Pikachu!" Misty gasped, shooting up straight. That was apparently the wrong move, however, as her head began to throb from the sudden movement. She groaned and reached for her temple, wincing as she did so.

"Pika…" Pikachu murmured in concern.

Letting out a long breath, Misty felt relief wash over her as the pain passed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm okay…I think."

Only somewhat comforted by Misty's reassurance, the electric type jumped into Misty's lap and rubbed against her. She smiled at the mouse and scratched him between the ears, slowly turning her gaze back up so she could look around. "Where are we?"

It was clear to her they were in a forest, although which _specific_ forest she wasn't sure. To be fair, they all kind of looked the same. The longer she looked, however, the more apparent it became to Misty that she and Pikachu were all alone. And that actually scared her more than not knowing where they were.

"Pikachu, where's Ash?" Misty asked, praying the mouse had more of a clue than she did.

He quickly bowed his ears and muttered a desolate, "chu," however, instantly dashing her hopes.

"It'd be so much easier if I knew how we got here," Misty groaned, giving Pikachu a reassuring hug. "Or at least _where_ we are…"

"Pi," Pikachu agreed.

The one thing Misty knew for sure was that they'd never figure it out if they just kept sitting around, waiting for someone or _something_ else to do it for them. Cautiously, she managed to get to her feet, keeping Pikachu in her grasp as she stood up. She loved Pikachu just as much as Ash did, and she refused to let anything happen to the sweet electric type.

"We'll just have to find him ourselves," Misty declared, causing Pikachu to tilt his head back to look up at her. Misty cast her gaze downward and smiled at Pikachu, who managed to return her optimistic expression. When he turned his head back around, he seemed to notice something, however, and began excitedly chattering.

"Chu! Pikachu, Pikachupi!"

"Hmm?" Misty hummed. "What is it, Pikachu?"

The mouse pointed down towards the ground. Misty looked herself and gasped, realizing that she could see a line of footprints in the dirt, leading up to the very spot where she'd woken up before.

"I bet those are mine," Misty murmured. "Which means we must've come from that way!"

"Pi!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Good eye, Pikachu!" Misty complimented him. "If we follow those footprints, we just might find our way back to where we came from!"

She started up the path, walking in the opposite direction that her footprints faced. Retracing one's steps was always a good idea, and the fact that Misty could actually see hers only helped their case. As she followed them, however, Misty once again began trying to jog her memory of how she and Pikachu could've possibly ended up there. Did they get lost? Had they already been looking for Ash? Maybe Misty had tripped and hit her head. She'd like to think she wasn't that clumsy, but she'd had her moments, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

The trail of her own footprints soon led Misty to the edge of the forest. She let out a sigh of relief once she realized the trees were behind her, and the realization hit that perhaps now it would be easier to find Ash.

Pikachu, meanwhile, began sniffing the air, searching for any trace of his trainer's scent. But he soon caught something else, instead, that caused him to go rigid. Misty noticed the change in the mouse's stature right away, and she nervously glanced down at the electric type.

"What is it?" She asked hesitantly.

Before Pikachu could respond, the sound of growling could be heard in the distance. Misty clutched the Pokémon tighter, looking around them. She wanted to run, but she had no idea where the growling was coming from and didn't want to run into any more trouble.

Unfortunately for her, the trouble was going to find its way to her first.

A pack of wild Mightyena emerged from the trees, surrounding Misty and Pikachu from every angle. Their red eyes were glowing, and their teeth were barred threateningly. Reaching down to her waist, Misty readied her hand to grab a poke ball, but froze when she touched the waistband of her shorts and found it completely empty. "Oh, no. Where are my Pokémon?!"

Misty held her breath as the Mightyena growled once more, unsure of what to do or where to go. From where she stood, it really seemed like there was no way out. That she and Ash's beloved partner were going to get mauled to death in the middle of nowhere. And even though she should've been terrified by such a fact, she was in too much shock to actually process it. Enough shock, in fact, that she couldn't even move a muscle.

_Now I understand why people aren't always able to get out of the way of clear danger…_

Pikachu, for what it was worth, was just as afraid. But he was able to work around the fear in order to reach the conclusion that he, as a Pokémon, had to protect both himself and Misty.

He would've done it for anyone, really. It made sense. He had powers that humans simply didn't. And Pikachu, like his trainer, had a very strong sense of morals. If someone was in danger, then Pikachu was going to step up and help.

But Misty was an entirely different story.

Pikachu cared _deeply_ about Misty. And he knew Ash did too, even though his trainer could be too stubborn to acknowledge it sometimes. She was kind to him, and always looked out for him, especially when Ash wasn't around. Misty went beyond Pikachu _wanting_ to _help._

She was someone he _needed_ to _protect._

With a sudden surge in his strength, Pikachu wiggled out of Misty's grasp and landed on the ground in front of her, his cheeks sparking as he glared at the pack of Mightyena staring him down.

"P-Pikachu?" Misty stammered, finally able to at least move her eyes downwards.

The dark types snickered at the mouse, hardly afraid of such a little thing. Pikachu's scowl deepened, and he quickly fired off a zap of thunderbolt; right in between two of the Mightyena as a warning shot. That got the bite Pokémon to stop laughing, but Pikachu wasn't willing to back down just yet. After a short moment of what must've been surprise, the Mightyena started to growl again and continued to close in on Pikachu and Misty, the thunderbolt attempt having provoked them.

Pikachu could hear Misty let out a short gasp, and that gave him the final push he needed. Without wasting another second, Pikachu fired off a real thunderbolt; the kind where he planted his paws into the ground and used all of his energy and determination to make the attack as strong as it could possibly be. With that kind of effort behind it, every single Mightyena surrounding the two of them was struck by the electricity, feeling it throughout their entire bodies.

As soon as Pikachu stopped the attack, all of the Mightyena just stood still, eyes wide and bodies shaking. Their fur stood up on end in an absurd fashion, electricity crackling off their tips. Pikachu took a step forward and barred his own teeth, growling at the Mightyena himself. While it was far less intimidating than what the dark types had managed to muster up themselves, the thunderbolt had done enough to strike some serious fear into them, and the Mightyena ran off with a flurry of terrified whimpers and shrieking yelps.

Once they were out of her sight, Misty sighed heavily and knelt beside the still on guard electric type. "Pikachu, you were so amazing!"

The mouse Pokémon finally sat back and smiled up at Misty. "Pi-ka!"

"Misty! Pikachu!"

The two of them glanced up, over towards the path they had been following before being surrounded by the Mightyena. They soon saw exactly who'd they been hoping to see, and both of them instantly lit up.

"Ash!"

"Pikapi!"

Misty gathered Pikachu back into her arms and ran to meet up with the raven-haired trainer, who appeared to be quite reassured.

"I'm so glad I finally found you!" Ash breathed, his grin widening when Pikachu jumped into his grasp. "I got really worried when I heard that explosion."

"Explosion…?" Misty repeated.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. Don't you remember? Team Rocket attacked us and stole Pikachu. You and I chased after them, but they went down a fork in the road and we weren't sure which path they took, so we split up. I never ended up coming across Pikachu, so as soon as I heard the boom, I assumed _you_ did and something must've happened."

Misty blinked, and suddenly, her eyes widened. "You're right! I remember now! _That's_ how Pikachu and I ended up here! I did come across him and Team Rocket, but I realized that in all of the commotion I had left my Pokémon back at the campsite. So, I had to find a way to rescue him on my own. And I _did_ , because their stupid inventions always have some kind of fatal flaw to them. But in the _process_ of finding that fatal flaw, I made the whole thing blow up. At least I'd gotten Pikachu back before that happened! I'm assuming those three bozos were blasted off and we ended up deeper in the forest."

Ash chuckled at Misty's assumption. "I wouldn't be surprised! But still…are you two okay? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

Misty smiled at Ash's concern. "No, we're alright. Although I would've been in a whole lot of trouble if Pikachu hadn't stepped up to protect me!"

"Protect you?" Ash murmured. "From what?"

"A pack of wild Mightyena," Misty grumbled, shaking her head. "They came out of nowhere while Pikachu and I were trying to find our way back. And again, I had no Pokémon to defend us! So, Pikachu did it himself. He was really brave; he didn't even flinch at those nasty Pokémon!"

"Pi…" Pikachu chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really?" Ash marveled. "That's so awesome, Pikachu! Thanks for looking out for Misty."

"Pi-ka!"

Unable to help herself, Misty wiggled her eyebrows. "So, you were really worried about me, huh?"

Ash frowned. "Of course, I was!" Suddenly blushing, he continued, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Mist."

Misty smiled sweetly at the boy, while Pikachu just smirked smugly to no one in particular.

_It sure is nice when he decides not to be so stubborn!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always think about how Professor Oak said Pokémon can sense their trainers' feelings, or that they share those feelings. At this point in their lives, I imagine that Ash is _slowly_ starting to realize his feelings for Misty...something Pikachu has sensed for quite a while and is probably getting tired of Ash not seeing himself!


	5. First Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuck to the theme again for today, which means it's time for a quick warning: this chapter has some sexual themes. There's no explicit content or graphic details; just the aftermath. Also, just to make sure it's clear, Ash and Misty are both adults in this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

_Is this real life?_

That was the thought running through both Ash _and_ Misty's heads, although neither one was currently coherent enough to compare thoughts…or say anything at all, really. Instead, both were doing nothing but staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily and keeping a comfortable distance between themselves.

Misty started to regain composure sooner than Ash; enough to realize she had been left quite indecent, at least. Quickly, she gathered up as much of the sheets in her hands as she possibly could and threw them over her, letting out a long sigh once she was finished.

"What's that for?"

Her eye twitched as she slowly turned her head to the left. "What's _what_ for?"

Ash flailed his hand in her direction, which only served to further confuse Misty. Groaning, he managed to clarify, "the uh…that. The sheets."

Misty's eyes widened. "Are you asking why I covered myself?"

He nodded.

"You've got to be kidding."

"No…?"

"Ash…I'm _naked!_ "

"Yeah, so am I."

Misty narrowed her eyes. "I know you're a little dense, but it's a bigger deal for a _woman_ to have her upper half uncovered than a man."

"Yeah, I got that," Ash stated. "I just don't see why it's such a big deal. I mean…I already saw everything."

Misty could just _feel_ the blush explode all over her face. He may have been _right_ , but he didn't need to _say it_. At this stage in their lives, she couldn't tell if Ash really was _that stupid_ , or just _that bold_. Either way, she felt that his comment warranted a smack on his shoulder, which ironically, was their first moment of contact since-

"Ow," Ash murmured softly, interrupting her thoughts.

"That didn't hurt," Misty dismissed, pulling her hand back and running it through her messy red hair.

"Says you," Ash grumbled. "You weren't the one getting the slap."

"Well, you deserved it," Misty calmly quipped.

Silence settled in between them, and after remaining that way for a short while, Ash turned on his side to stare at Misty. "Did we really just start _arguing_ after having sex for the first time?"

Just as soon as it had dissipated, Misty's blush returned in full force. She was well aware of what they had just done, but it was the first time either of them had said it out loud. For some reason, she found it a little jarring, _especially_ coming out of Ash's mouth.

Hesitantly, Misty turned her head to lock eyes with him. "I mean…it _is_ us."

Ash laughed; the warm, deep, truly amused kind of laugh of his that Misty loved so much. "You've got a point!"

Delicately biting her lower lip, Misty inched closer to Ash until they were just barely touching. Both jolted at the contact, memories of their recent tryst flooding back to them. The sudden shock passed quickly, however, and was instead taken over by a strong sense of comfort as she snuggled in even closer.

Misty had been a little nervous before she and Ash had actually done the deed. Not necessarily to actually _do it_ (her sisters had told her enough graphic stories that Misty not only knew what to expect but was also essentially desensitized at this point) but because she was concerned about Ash. It'd taken him a while to even have his own romantic feelings…and then to acknowledge them. They'd been dating for a while now, but this was obviously a _very_ big step to take, and Misty didn't want Ash rushing into something he didn't feel ready for; especially since neither of them had ever actually _done it_ before. But he had insisted he was, that he really loved her and was ready to take their relationship to the next level.

For someone who had seemed so unsure about it not too long ago, Ash had done a _very_ good job between the sheets.

_Ugh, that sounded so trashy. Like something my sisters would think of._

Misty groaned and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. Ash picked his head up, raising an eyebrow at her unexplained grimace. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Misty sighed, lowering her hands until they were at her sides. "Just don't think my brain's caught up to the rest of my body, that's all."

Ash chuckled and put his head back down before wrapping his arm around Misty's waist and pulling her even closer against him. Obviously, he was getting much more comfortable himself. "You sure are cute."

"Thanks," Misty laughed weakly.

They remained quiet for a little while again. And once more, Ash was the one to break it. "You know, that was fun! I think we should do it again sometime."

"I'm so glad you liked it," Misty teased before growing more serious. "I was afraid you might've regretted it."

"What?!" Ash exclaimed, his eyes widening. "No way! Did I make it seem like I did?"

"No!" Misty quickly refuted. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you think that. It was more because I know how nervous you were, and I didn't want you to feel rushed or that you _had_ to go through with it."

"Nah, I would've stopped if I wasn't comfortable," Ash assured her. "Or, at least told you I was. But it was great! Now I get why people love doing that."

Misty couldn't help but to burst out laughing. "So, you're saying you're addicted now?"

"I don't know if I'd say I'm _addicted_ ," Ash scoffed. "But I definitely wouldn't be mad if we did that a little more often!"

"Well…I think we can arrange that," Misty quipped, winking at him.

Ash's grin widened before he buried his face between Misty's neck and shoulder. "That'd be awesome. But…not today, right?"

"It doesn't have to be," Misty scoffed. "Why? You too tired?"

"No," Ash refuted before picking his head back up. "I feel great! I'm just _really_ hungry."

Misty groaned and threw her head back. "Really? Now you're gonna talk about being _starving_ right after we had sex for the first time?"

Ash shrugged, his smile becoming a lot more playful. "Well, it _is_ me."

"You've got a point," Misty begrudgingly admitted, smirking back at Ash. "Fine. We'll go get something to eat. But I want to pick!"

"No prob," Ash replied. "After _today_ , I'll let you do anything you want!"

Misty hummed and, despite the pride that was currently filling her chest, gave Ash yet another delicate smack on the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"You still deserved it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to stop and think how would Ash and Misty behave in this kind of situation?
> 
> And I came to the conclusion: pretty much the same way they always do.


	6. Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure what to do with this theme at first, and almost replaced it, but then I came up with a fun, simple idea that I thought would be a really nice portrayal of Ash and Misty's relationship. Oh, and Pikachu! Because you can never have too much Pikachu.

"What's this?"

"Don't touch it!"

"I didn't! I was asking what it was."

"Yeah, but I can tell you _want_ to touch it."

"How?"

"The look in your eyes."

"That doesn't tell you anything!"

Misty scoffed and shook her head. "Spoken like a true man."

Ash smirked playfully at her. "So, you think I'm a _true man_ , huh?"

"I'm sorry, I misspoke," Misty apologized, her tone seemingly genuine. "I should've said a true _boy_."

Ash scowled as Misty glided past him. "That's not funny."

"You're right, it's _hilarious_ ," Misty rectified, having now adopted the smirk herself. "Now, seriously. Don't touch that. I'll be right back!"

Before Ash could fire off his own retort, Misty had stridden out of the room and left him by himself. Huffing, Ash sat down on the nearby couch and once again glanced over at the side table, staring at the same object from before. Pikachu scurried up to his trainer, scaling the man's legs so he could take a look for himself. "Pi-ka?"

"Yeah, isn't it cool?" Ash asked. Pikachu turned to glare at his trainer, who was taken aback by such a look. "What?!"

"Pikachupi pi pika pi, Pikapi."

"I'm not gonna touch it," Ash grumbled. "Why do you guys all think I'm some kid who can't control himself?!"

"Pika pi kachu pi."

"Okay, well, I don't think that's fair."

Pikachu shrugged, unaffected by such feelings. Ash huffed and looked back over at the table. Sitting there was something he'd never seen before: a glass sculpture in an intricate, unclear shape filled with pure blue water.

Misty had certainly been protective of it from the moment he'd walked into the gym's lounge. Ash wondered if it was some kind of rare or valuable item. Perhaps it had been found in some kind of ancient fossil field? Or out at sea? Maybe it had the ability to boost a Pokémon's strength in battle. Or their speed. Or their agility.

_It must at least be expensive, since Misty is so freaked out by me even looking at it._

Raising an eyebrow, Ash turned back towards Pikachu. "Hey buddy, can you tell if this is some kind of Pokémon thing?"

Pikachu tilted his head, showing Ash that he wasn't sure of what his trainer meant.

"You know, like some kind of special power boosting thing," Ash tried to explain. "I didn't know if those types of things had a certain scent or what."

The electric type sighed and shook his head. They definitely _didn't_ , but he figured there was no point in telling Ash that. Instead, Pikachu simply leaned into the object and gave it a little sniff before glancing up at Ash and muttering, "kachu."

"Can't tell, huh?" Ash sighed. He glanced over at the object once more and murmured, "maybe just a little poke…"

He reached out towards it, causing Pikachu to squeak out in alarm. Ash's arm jerked from the unexpected sound, his hand knocking into the glass item and sending it tumbling towards the floor. Ash gasped and threw himself off the couch, diving for the object. His body crashed against the linoleum; arms outstretched so his hands could catch the glass. As soon as he felt the cool smoothness against his palms, Ash let out a sigh of relief and sat up, gazing at the strange sculpture that was finally in his grasp.

Okay, so maybe he really had wanted to touch it. But not like this, after he'd almost broken it on accident just like Misty had been expecting.

"Ash!"

And speak of the devil…

Misty ran back into the room, kneeling in front of Ash and grabbing onto his shoulders. "Are you okay?"

The young man timidly glanced up at Misty, his brown eyes locking with her cerulean ones. They both stared at one another, their breaths ghosting off of one another's faces. Ash was expecting her face to reflect anger, with narrowed eyes and red cheeks, but it didn't. In fact, she looked downright _concerned_. What's more, Ash slowly became more and more aware of Misty's grip on him; her slender fingers holding him tightly, their warmth seeping through the fabric of his t-shirt.

Misty, on the other hand, fought the urge to hold Ash even tighter not because she wanted to strangle him for disobeying her, but to get a better feel of the muscles in his shoulders. He looked so sweet, staring at her with those big wide eyes of his, and she had to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss him. It certainly was hard to stay mad at him with a face like that.

Clearing her throat, Misty reluctantly let go of Ash and repeated, "are you okay? I heard gasping and crashing so I came running."

"Uh…yeah," Ash stammered, still sounding rather distracted. "It's just…uh…your glass thingy almost fell on the floor so I had to jump and catch it."

Ash held the sculpture up for Misty to see, leading to her eyebrows raising. "Were you touching it?!"

"No!" Ash cried. "I was only going to _poke it_. But I didn't! Pikachu scared me and I ended up hitting it off the table by _accident!_ "

Pikachu looked displeased to be implicated in the current situation, but otherwise chose to keep any kind of defense to himself.

Misty sighed and took the glass figure out of Ash's hands. "I knew you wanted to touch it. Can't I leave you alone for five minutes?"

"Guess not," Ash begrudgingly admitted. "But come on, could you at least tell me what it is?! It's gotta be something really special since you were so worried about it! I'm _dying_ to know!"

Misty scoffed before smirking, much to Ash's confusion. "It's just some tacky decoration Daisy bought from who knows where. It wasn't even expensive."

Ash's mouth fell open. "Seriously?!"

"Yep," Misty confirmed, nodding her head.

"Then why were you so adamant that I don't touch it?!" Ash cried.

"Because I _know_ you, and I _know_ you can't resist touching stuff you're not supposed to," Misty explained with a giggle. "It wouldn't have been as funny if you knew it was nothing interesting. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if you ended up smashing the thing. I think it's kind of ugly."

Ash groaned and slumped against the couch. "You're going to be the death of me."

Misty smirked and inclined her head. "Come on, I'm not _that_ bad."

"I thought I almost destroyed something valuable!"

"Well, that's your fault. Stop touching stuff you're not supposed to touch!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I was going to make the object something that was _actually_ valuable, but then I realized it'd be a whole lot funnier if it was actually junk that Ash was panicking over.
> 
> Last day tomorrow (already!) And I'll give you a little hint: I replaced the theme for it!


	7. Revisiting Maiden's Peak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guys believe this is the final day of Pokeshipping Week? It flew by so fast!
> 
> I chose to replace the original theme for this seventh and final day, but I actually decided to go back to a previous Pokeshipping Week and use one of the themes I had initially replaced back then! I really loved the theme back then as well, but hadn't been able to come up with anything I liked enough. But this time around, I came up with a cute idea that I wanted to run with, and I'm very happy I finally got to use this particular prompt!

It had been eight long years since Ash last visited Maiden's Peak.

An awful lot had happened back then: they'd visited for the annual Summer Festival, eaten lots of delicious junk food, heard an old legend, Brock had been tricked by a Gastly carrying out the old legend, and Team Rocket was there for some reason (because _of course_ they were) …

But for some reason, the one thing Ash remembered most clearly was dancing with Misty at the end of the festival.

He explicitly recalled doing a double take when Misty appeared before him that night, specifically because it was the first time he had actually seen her look like a girl. She'd taken her hair out of its usual side ponytail, put on a beautiful pink kimono, a blue fan held in her hand…Ash could hardly believe it was the same Misty who he usually got into showstopping arguments with.

She'd asked him to dance and Ash, despite his surprise, said yes. He never really knew why. He didn't know how to dance, and he didn't really have any interest in learning, but Misty just looked so nice he couldn't help himself. And so, she'd grabbed his hand (Ash still remembered how warm it was) and pulled him out to where everyone else was already dancing. Much to his surprise, it had been fun, and he hadn't even stepped on Misty's feet once!

It really did feel like a lifetime ago, even though the memory was as clear as day.

That's why he was surprised when Misty had asked him if he wanted to go back there to attend the Summer Festival once again.

_"Really?" He'd asked. "After all this time?"_

_"Sure!" Misty had chirped. "It was really fun the last time. We should try and recreate what it was like when we were 10! Well, aside from the whole 'Brock falling in love with a rock statue of a pretty girl that's actually Gastly who tries to take him to the afterlife' thing."_

Ash smiled as he remembered the conversation. Misty always knew how to make him laugh. She was just naturally funny and quick witted; it was one of his favorite things about her.

"Oh, wow. This place is even more beautiful than I remembered it!"

Turning his head, Ash found that Misty was marveling at the sights around them.

"Probably because we were so preoccupied with the haunting last time," Ash playfully reminded her.

Misty giggled and scurried ahead of Ash, up to a nearby railing that overlooked the water. The sun was hanging high in the sky, sparkling off the ripples in the sea while boats crossed back and forth.

"I could just stand here all day," Misty sighed, Ash striding up next to her so he could look out himself. "But I can't! We have to start getting ready for the festival tonight."

"Get ready?" Ash repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I thought all we had to do was show up!"

"Of course not!" Misty laughed. "There's lots we have to do to prepare! Do you even have an outfit for tonight?"

Ash mentally kicked himself. "No, I don't."

Misty raised a teasing eyebrow. "Please don't tell me you thought you were going to fit into the same kimono from eight years ago."

"No way!" Ash refuted. "If you haven't noticed, I've become _quite_ well built since then."

He flexed his arm to show off his muscles, leading Misty to roll her eyes. "You've also gotten a lot taller, but sure, let's start with _that_."

"It's more fun," Ash replied, lowering his arm as he pouted playfully.

"I don't know, I think it's more fun to talk about the fact you no longer have to look up at me when you talk," Misty quipped, turning Ash's pout into a more legitimate one. Laughing again, she continued, "I have an idea. Why don't you and I split up and head into town so we can find outfits for tonight? We can meet back up in this exact spot right before the festival begins."

"Hold on, you're going to send me shopping on my _own?!_ " Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah," Misty scoffed. "We just talked about this, Ash: you're a big boy, you can pick out your own clothes!"

"Says who?" Ash demanded in a panic. "Just because I can pick something out doesn't mean it'll look good! I don't know anything about fashion! What if I pick out something horrible? Then you won't want to be seen with me!"

Misty shot him a deadpan look. "It's a kimono. It's literally one piece. There's no possible way for you to screw it up."

"Sure, you say that _now_ ," Ash grumbled. "What if I choose the wrong colors? Or the wrong pattern?"

"Don't," Misty replied simply.

"Thanks," Ash muttered sarcastically.

Misty giggled and stood up on her toes to give Ash a kiss on the cheek. "Seriously, don't overthink it! Have Pikachu help you. He's got good taste!"

Before Ash could cry out another protest, Misty ran off, excitement radiating off of her like some kind of forcefield. He sighed and looked up towards his shoulder at Pikachu, who had remained quiet during that entire exchange. "Guess I don't have a choice, do I, buddy?"

"Pi," Pikachu refuted, shaking his head.

"Alright, fine," Ash conceded, biting his lower lip. "Let's go shopping…"

* * *

Misty, unlike Ash, was _very_ conscientious of how she was going to look that night.

She remembered the first time at Maiden's Peak just as clearly as Ash did, and the memory still stuck with her. She might have been young back then, but she knew that Ash had looked at her differently in her kimono with her hair down. It was in such a way that it put Butterfree in her stomach, and it made her feel incredibly special.

And now, eight years later and both of them actually aware of their feelings, she wanted to try her best for a repeat performance. Although, Misty still wasn't overly confident Ash remembered that specific moment the same way she did.

_I know I told Ash I wanted to recreate that night, but I'm not so sure he knows exactly what I meant by that._

Strolling into the nearby clothing store, the same one Misty had visited all those years ago, her eyes instantly lit up. She may have been more of a tomboy, but Misty absolutely adored shopping. Doing it when she was trying to get something in order to impress Ash made it even better. She would look at all different pieces, tops and bottoms and dresses and accessories, and try to imagine Ash's reaction to each and every one of them. He hadn't been kidding when he said he knew nothing about fashion, but he did know when something looked good on Misty, and that was all that really mattered to her.

She took her time, trying to find a kimono that she felt could get the same kind of response out of Ash as the first one. That one was still stored in her closet back home, and despite her own teasing of Ash that a kimono that old would no longer fit him, she _had_ tried in vain to see if there was any possible way she would still be able to wear her own.

Eventually, however, she stumbled across one that put a big smile on her face and caused her heart to flutter. It wasn't _exactly_ the same as the first, but there were elements that reminded her of it, and that meant that this one was absolutely perfect.

So, she paid for the kimono and exited the store, smiling to herself as she held the bag up. "Hopefully this works…"

* * *

Several hours later, Ash was back in the same spot overlooking the water where he and Misty had last seen each other. With Pikachu's help, he had managed to pick out what he thought was a nice kimono: pale blue in color with a cerulean obi that had reminded him of Misty's eyes. He'd actively chosen to stay away from any sort of pattern, deciding it was too much to think about whether Misty would like it or not. Picking out the colors was hard enough, although he knew for a fact that she liked blues of all different shades and likely wouldn't complain about his choice of clothing.

"I forgot how uncomfortable this thing is," Ash whined, tugging at his collar. "And I feel weird without my hat on, too."

Pikachu sighed and nudged at Ash's neck, earning his trainer's attention. "Pika Pikachupi!"

"I know, it's for Misty," Ash murmured. "I just hope she likes it!"

Hearing footsteps coming towards him, Ash picked his head up, and almost instantly, he fell into what felt like a trance.

Before him stood Misty, her bright red hair down and a fan that almost perfectly matched the color of Ash's obi was being held against her cheek. She was sporting her own, brand new kimono: hers red with a pink floral pattern and a matching pink obi.

"So?" Misty prodded, a hint of nerves in her voice. "What do you think?"

It took a moment, during which Misty began to doubt herself, but Ash soon returned to his senses and replied, "wow, you look so beautiful."

Misty blushed and tried to hide it with her fan. "Thank you! And you look very handsome."

"You think so?" Ash murmured, lifting his arms up. "I did the best I could, and Pikachu thought this was the best looking one."

Misty nodded. "It's perfect." Moving closer to Ash, she held her hand out and asked, "do you want to dance?"

Ash's dancing had not improved in the slightest since the last Summer Festival they'd attended, and he still wasn't all that into it. But despite that, he knew he couldn't say no to Misty. After all, this was a special occasion.

"Sure," Ash breathed, taking Misty's hand. Her hand was just as warm as it'd been last time, and it caused his smile to widen.

Misty led him to the dance floor, only having to drag him a little bit, and soon the two were swaying beneath the colorful paper lanterns and tall wooden torches. Ash was just as cautious with his dancing as he'd been as a kid, continually looking down to make sure he didn't step on Misty's feet. She, of course, took notice of this, and couldn't help but to giggle.

"You know," Misty began, her lips twitching. "This is kind of the real reason I wanted to come back here. Don't get me wrong, I love the _whole_ Summer Festival! But getting dressed up and dancing with you – "

"I know."

Misty turned towards Ash, looking confused. "Know what?"

Ash smirked. "I know that's what you meant when you said you wanted to recreate the last time we were here. After all, we could kind of get this kind of food at any festival. But we couldn't really have the same moment unless we were here."

As shameful as it might have sounded, Misty was surprised. Ash was still on the dense side, and despite being her boyfriend, he wasn't always the most romantically inclined, although he tried his best. She really didn't think he would've realized that this was her main purpose for returning to Maiden's Peak.

"So…you really remember?" Misty asked softly.

Bashfully smiling, Ash nodded. "Yeah, I do. I could never forget how you looked that night. It was the first time I ever looked at you and felt something. Even if I didn't realize it back then, I know what it was now. We've been through a lot together, Mist, and we've done all kinds of stuff. But I really think that night here all those years ago was the best. It's easily one of my favorite memories I have with you."

Letting out a short laugh, Misty strode forward and wrapped her arms around Ash. "I'm so glad you think so. I feel the same way."

Chuckling, Ash dipped his head down and gave Misty a kiss, taking her off guard in the best way possible. And then, he pulled away just enough so their lips were still touching, and he whispered:

"But you know… I think _this time_ might be even better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it: another Pokeshipping Week in the books!
> 
> I just want to thank everyone who joined me this week. Whether you contributed your own works, read or looked at other people's works, left reviews, reblogged on Tumblr...you are all part of what makes this entire week so great and so special year after year! I said it at the beginning of the week, but I really mean it: Pokeshipping fans are among the best, and it is such an honor to be part of this community.
> 
> Until next year!


End file.
